Gear-shift mechanism



5 Sheet s-Sheet 1 Filed Nov Woward 7 52000? E0622? Lapsiey- NOV. 11, 1930. H BLOOD ET AL 1,780,898 GEAR SHIFT MECHANISM Filed Nov. 27, 19 25 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jim/ward Z. Blood Faberf Lapsley.

NOV. 11, 1930. BLOOD ET AL 1,780,898

GEAR SHIFT MECHANISM Filed Nov. 27, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 .Jmviz'mkzas War/Jami. Z. Blond E0522? Zapsiey shown in Figure 4.

Patented Nov. 11, 19301 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE,

HOWARD E. BLOOD AND noBER'r LAPSLEY, 0F nn'rnorr, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS 'ro nnrnorr GEAR & MACHINE COMPANY, 015 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or MICHIGAN GEAR-SHIFT MECHANISM Application filed November 27, 1925. Serial No; 71,511; i

cover,'having suitable guideways for guiding the gear shift forks and av directional slot preferably of the H type for guiding the usual universal gear shift lever. d Other objects and'advantages of this invention need not now be specifically mentioned as they will become apparent in the following description'and disclosures;

The invention comprises the. novel structure and combinations hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and'dee finedin the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate certain preferred embodiments of this invention and in which similar referencenu meralsrefer to similar features inthe different viewsz" Figure 1 is a part sectionaland part elevational view of a gear shift mechanism involving this invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to=-F1gure 1 but taken through the gear shiftme'chanism at right angles to Figure Y 7' Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the. guiding mechanism for the gear hift. lever and forks.

7 Figured 1s a part sectionaland part elevational view'ofa slightly modified form that the invention, may assume;-

Figlre 5 is an e s p p an view of the guiding mechanism for the forks and gear shift lever of the modification.

Figure 6 isa top plan view of the structure Figure? 7 is-an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the gear shift mechamsm' as shown. in Figures 1' and: with [the fmesli locking balls confined in the cover instead of in separate thimbles, I

Figure 8 is a part sectional andpart elevational view of the structure shownin Figv ure 7 the sectional part being at right angles;

to the plane of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of a gear shift mechanism involving this in: vention'in which the lever is off center.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view; taken at right angles to the plane of Figure 9.

The invention in its broadest aspectc'ontemplates a support having gui-dewaysfor guide slots in combination with gear shift elements or forks having guiding portions extending th'ru said guide slots/and having portions. overlappingthe upper surface of said support for operation by a gear shift lever, a simplemechanism for carrying out this invention is illustrated. H 3

Referring now to F gures 1 to 13', there is shown the usual 'transmisslon-casing cover 1 in'whieh a lever 2 ismounted for universal movementas is well-known in the a'r't. Above thefulcrum of the lever there is a sliid'a'ble locking; sleeve 3 which bears against a movable semi spherical hood or cap 4. Beneath the hoodA- there is a slidable ring member5 provided with-opposite notches 6 (Figure 1;) which engages a bent end 7 on a vertical rod 8 located in a verticalgroove in the lever 2 and a pin- 6 extendingfrom theverticjal' lever 2. The lower end of the rod 8 proext-ends through a locking'collar 10.

likewise be shifted cliownwar'd'ly, forcing the sleeve member 10 into the adjoining aper tures of a pair of shifting plates 11 tolock the same against movement. It will be noted that the lever 2 is suitably slotted adjacent the ends '7 and 9 of'the rod 8 to allow said rod to slide relative to the lever 2. v

best shown in The shifting plates 11 are Figure 3. Eachhas an intermediatelateral notch 12 in its inner edge which the lower 7 end of the lever 2 may be engaged. The lower surface of each plate 11 is provided with a serles of conical depressions 13 for receiving a spring impelled retaining or locking member 14 in the'formof a ball. Theshifting plates-11 rest upon a plate support 15"positioned between the cover 1 and the transmission casing;; ;-This supportlfi is in the form of'agplatehaving apair -of spaced parallel. slots- 16. Between the slots 16 there is an H-shaped slot 17, the transverse connecting branchtof which registers with'the notches 12 as shown in Figure 3., The support 15-is v alsov provided with suitable apertures in which thinibles'lg. are supported in theplane ofthe-locking apertureslg. The aforementioned locking members 14' are; confined 1n 1 these thimbles 18 and'rest upon the springs 19 these? lockingmembers {in prevent ng accicontained said; thimbles. The action 7 of dental shifting is well known in the art and need no further description; 'A pair of guide members 20 -20 inthe form of narrow blocks are slidably retained in theafor'ementioned slots. The upper ends of the gear shifting forks or yokes 21 are attached to these guide blocks20, which'in turn are respectively attachedto the shifting plates 'l-lby rivets 22 or the like. Preferably thesame rivetssecu're both the forks and the guide bloclzs. 7 Y

In referring to Figures 1 and 2, :it'wil-l be note-dthat the lower end of the lever'2 projects through the shifting plates '11, the suports 15 and between the yoke members 21'.

WVhen this lever'is shifted into one of the fnotches 12 of the shifting plates, it'willbe in one" of the branches of'the'H-shaped slot 1 in the support 15 and it may be operated for shifting such plate ll'. The shifting of the tion, it will be noted that'the transmlssion 7 plate 11 will, of course, shift 'the'yoke' 21 at tached thereto for engaging or disengaging 'the gears ofthe change speed gearing.

. Referring now to Figures 4 to- 6 whichillus trate a slightly modified form of the invencasing 1 is of a slightly "different 'fornito accommodate the vertical locking rod 23 ,"whicHis adaptedto enter the notches 2.4t'in I in neutral position for locking the gear sh ft a pair of shifting plates 25"when the same are 7 mechanism against unauthorized use. This locking mechanism is, however, claimed ina ,copending application cifically described. r

In this modified formlof the invention, a similar support 15'is used as in the first form. It-ispositioned at the bottom of the caslng and need not-bespel in the same manner and supports the shifting plates- I 25. "slightly from These shifting plates 25 difier v those shown in the first form in; that the notches 26 for fthe lever extend inwardly from one endof'the plates; icon} ,sequ'ently'ifthese-plates can beengaged-di- 'r ectly by. the lever for shifting 1n only g one direction. These shifting plates 25 have conical locking depressions 13'for the locking,

members as in the first form. They likewise I support'guide blocks 20 which slide in the parallel slots 16 in the base support 15. The gear shlftni'gforks or yok-es 21:are carried by the guide blocks 20 and the. ends ofthe attaching portions of these yokes extend in the path of the lower end ofthelever 2 as indicated at 2l 'fin Figure 4. Inthis modified form the? thimbles-18 for the meshlocking balls are supported above "theshi'fting plates 25. 7

- In the operation of 'this modified form,

the lever 2 will shift the forks in one direc-,

tion by engaging the-shoulders formed. .by the notches26'in theplates 2 5. or shifting the forks in the other direction, the. lever 2 will directly engage the extensions 21*.

:lnFigures 7 andz8 there is shownastruc ture similar "to the structure .firstf described wi'th the exception that the thimbles. for con: finingthe lockingmembersare omitted. 111+ stead of such thimbles, suitable apertures'27 are formed in the cover whichis provided withrsuitable walls therefor. r The mesh locking balls Mare: confined inthese apertures I beneath the springs 19 which'in turn are held in bythe nuts 28 screwed intothe casing. 1

In Flgures '99. and Y10 the. construction is substantially the same asshowni-inFigures 7 and :8 with theexception that the, gearshift l-ever 2 iseccentrically mounted,-being a short distance'from the .centerin order to provide accommodation vfor a-particular-form of locking mechanism.

From the foregoing, it

willbe apparent that a novelform-of gear shift. mechanism has been. provided .which is lesslexpensive and 1 more eflicient than existingstructures .for. a"

similar purpose and difficulty i-n; thewuse of guldefrods has been eliminated and which is conducive toan .shift..'lever.

, .IWe are aware that many ch angesfmaylbe' .111 a gear shifting mechanism,a-casing, a le er'plvoted'ln sa1dIcasing,--a'support'attached to the bottom of the casing, said sup; porthavrng apair of parallel islots,;apair :ofsh1fter .pl'ates slidably supported on'jsaid easier: operation of the gear support and-comprising .means; extending iintozs'aidl' parallel-slotafa shifter fork supe portecl by each plate, and means for operatmg said shifterplates. 1

mission cover casing, a plate having-an H slot and a pairof parallel guide slots'atthe 130',

bottom of said casing, gear shifting forks v. 1.. 2,1 'algear shifting mechanism, a transhaving guiding means extending into said parallel slots, and a notched plate secured to each guiding means above said first mentioned plate for slidably maintaining said guiding means in said parallel slots.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto subscribed our names.

HOWARD E. BLOOD. ROBERT LAPSLEY. 

